THE GREAT CRESTED FLVCATCHER. 377 



agreeable, calling forth a fine woodland echo, and impress- 

 ing one with the animation, courage and bravery of the 

 bird. Scarcely leSs agreeable is his rapidly uttered twip, 

 twip, twip, twip, twip, or even his guttural rattling call, equally 

 characteristic. Perched in the rather open top of a tall elm, 

 he appears to the best advantage in the full light of the 

 morning sun. Some 9 inches long, with the strongest out- 

 line of that peculiar form which always marks the Fly- 

 catcher ; standing in a spirited, upright attitude, with crest 

 erected, his upper parts are a fine greenish-olive, throat and 

 upper breast, ash; under parts sulphur-yellow; wings dusky, 

 edged with greenish- white; tail dusky; outer edge of the 

 primaries and under side of the tail, bright reddish-chest- 

 nut. His frequent jerk of the tail, as he sits, otherwise mo- 

 tionless, for some time on the branch, cutting an occasional 

 semicircle in quest of his passing prey, as well as his struct- 

 ure and generally pugnacious disposition — all declare his 

 character as a Flycatcher. This bird is so common in our 

 forests that his notes seem almost identified with the sum- 

 mer landscape. 



Observing that the greater part of the top of a tall' elm 

 in his vicinity is dead, 1 suspect a nest in some hollow of a 

 broken branch, and putting on my climbers, ascend to the 

 region of dead limbs. I have looked about me pretty thor- 

 oughly without success, and am about to descend. When I 

 notice, some distance out from me, a broken limb about six 

 inches in diameter, and stretching myself along its length, 

 ten or twelve inches within its hollow end, I look into the 

 nest, which contains 6 eggs. Jamming my hand down the 

 passage with much difficulty, I secure the eggs one by one, 

 packing them in leaves in the crown of my hat, and pocket 

 the lining of the nest. So much, so good. Now I begin to 

 descend, quite elated over my success. I get about half- 



